It is important that cables used to make electrical and mechanical connections between control, operating, and other systems be properly labeled to allow cables to be moved, added to such systems, changed, repaired, and/or identified for trouble shooting maintenance. In some cases, such labels are required, such as to meet ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A compliance pursuant to the Administrative Standard for Commercial Telecommunications Infrastructure (2002).
Presently available labels used to mark cables have an adhesive surface and an opposed printable surface, with the cable marker indicia applied to the printable surface. The adhesive side of the label attaches to the outer insulation layer surrounding the cable, such that the label is not rotatable around the cable. Thus, in certain cable installation environments, the cable marker label may be facing in a direction whereby the markings on the label are not visible to an observer, and the adhesive attaching the label to the cable prevents the label from being rotated around the cable for ease of observation.
Other presently available cable marker labels comprise a hollow cylindrical label with cable identification markings imprinted on the outer surface of the cylindrical label. These labels are capable of rotating when applied over a cable; however, one end of the cable must be disconnected to allow one of these cylindrical labels to be installed over the cable, or the cylindrical label must be applied over the cable prior to installation. The disconnection of one end of the cable to apply a rotatable label presents a high degree of inconvenience, and potential for error, where a great number of cables are attached to connecting points in a small space, as is usually the case in most cable installations. In addition, those working in the industry have discovered that it is advisable to apply a cable marker label to a cable after connection of the cable at both ends to maintain necessary quality and accuracy of the total installation.
A further presently available cable marker label, such as the Cable Identification System disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,362, owned by Panduit Corp., comprises a two-piece split sleeve label spacer positioned circumferentially around a cable, and an adhesive label secured circumferentially around the label spacer.
Another cable marker presently available comprises a rotatable label strip with a write-on area on the front side of the label strip, and a partial adhesive on the back of the label strip opposite the write-on area. One end of the strip is wrapped around the cable and attaches to the adhesive side. This strip is not capable of adjusting to the size of the cable, nor of providing a protective over-laminate segment to protect the printed-on indicia against smudging or erasure.
Therefore, there is a need for a cable marker label that is rotatably applied to the cable, can be applied to terminated cable without disconnecting an end of the cable connection, can be applied over a cable in a matter of seconds, is a one-piece or two-piece construction, provides a clear, protective over-laminate segment covering the print-on area, and is inexpensive to manufacture.